S.K.Y. Announces Parternship With African Basketball Online

This from our friends at S.K.Y. Streetball Syndicate: “The S.K.Y. Streetball Syndicate (S.K.Y.), one of the world’s top professional streetball brands, today announced a new partnership with African Basketball Online, to promote basketball and youth outreach programs throughout the African continent.

The partnership will mark many firsts for an American street basketball brand, according to Lee Greene, President of S.K.Y., Ltd, based in Hamilton, Bermuda, but with offices in Shanghai, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.A.

‘ABO organizes basketball programs, integrated with life skills, and leadership education for participants (male and female ages 8-17), coaches, and administrators,’ said its President and Founder, Eyo Effiong. ‘We host the ABO Leadership and Basketball Camps to foster academic and social development of participants (male and female ages 8-17), coaches, and administrators involved in our programs. We have talked to Mr. Greene about many opportunities from a shoes-for-kids program to general tours in select countries. We fully recognize the benefits of a partnership with S.K.Y. due to its mission and the ability of the players to entertain and spread the word on who we are globally.’

African Basketball (ABO) is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt USA-based, non-Profit organization dedicated to the development of African education and sports programs and is based in New Jersey.

Eyo added that the ABO uses the basketball camps and coaches’ clinics as a tool to: (1) motivate participants (boys and girls ages 8-21) to attend, stay in school, and further their education after completion of their primary education. (2) Promote gender equality, and empower women by the inclusion of girls from the communities at every ABO Leadership & Basketball Camp. (3) Address poverty issues by helping participants, coaches, and administrators acquire and improve their skills, and knowledge of the game of basketball, and other life skills (Conflict Management, Leadership skills, Job skills, and education), which provides academic and employment opportunities.

Green added: ‘This partnership is a marathon not a sprint. This is merely the start of a relationship will speak at the heart of S.K.Y.’s mission to use basketball as a means of a bridge into a continent to help educate youth, especially in a continent that needs great assistance in many areas.’

S.K.Y. will be playing in an historic three-week tour in China from July 24-August 8, stopping in Beijing, Wuhan, and Shanghai. The events will be chronicled for a nationwide reality series featuring the S.K.Y. players and will air on CCTV-5 throughout China this autumn. The goal of the tour is to discover China’s top streetball players. A similar program for Africa may in the future for S.K.Y., added Greene.”